MALTA
Location:
Malta is located in southern Europe, in the central Mediterranean Sea, 93 kilometres
south of Sicily (Italy) and 290 kilometres north of Libya. Its total area is 320 square
kilometres.
Population:
366,767 (July, 1994 estimate)
Languages:
Maltese (official), English (official)
Government:
Malta's government is a parliamentary democracy.
Legal System:
Malta's legal system is based on English common law and Roman civil law. It has
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations.
Telecommunications:
Malta has an automatic system that satisfies normal requirements. It has a
submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands, and international
service by one submarine cable and one Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
station.
Economy:
Significant resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location and a productive
labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater
supplies and has no domestic energy sources. Consequently, the economy is highly
dependent on foreign trade and services. Manufacturing and tourism are the largest
contributors to the economy. Manufacturing accounts for about 27% of GDP, with the
electronics and textile industries major contributors and the state-owned Malta drydocks
which employs about 4,300 people. In 1992, about 1,000,000 tourists visited the island.
Per capita GDP at $6,600 places Malta in the middle-income range of the world's
nations.
Industries:
Malta's main industries are tourism, electronics, ship repair yard, construction, food
manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages and tobacco.
Currency:
1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents
Exchange Rates:
Maltese liri (LM) per US$1 - 0.3951 (January, 1994)
Related sites:
Home Page For Malta
Malta Export Trade Corporation
Malta Hotels
Profile On Malta
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